Carton with separable tray



April 14, 1964 v A, RICCA 3,128,935

CARTON WITH SEPARABLE TRAY 'Filed June 13, 1962 IN VEN TOR N 70A/ /Q/cC/i United States Patent O 3,128,935 CARTON WITH SEPARABLE TRAY Anton Ricca, East Paterson, NJ., assignor to Alford Cartons Division, Continental Paper Company, Ridgefield Park, NJ., a corporation of New Jersey Filed .lune 13, 1962, Ser. No. 202,243 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-19) This invention relates to a foldable carton having a separable tray therein. The tray is designed to facilitate display and/or dispensing of the contents of the carton.

It is the purpose of the invention to provide a carton which is adapted to the packaging of a wide variety of items.

Heretofore it has been common to use separate supporting cards in carton packaging. For example, in the retail sale of bacon, the bacon slices are sometimes placed on a separate card which is inserted into an outer carton together with the bacon slices thereon. In other fields of merchandising such separate card inserts have also been used to display merchandise more effectively. Thus such separate card inserts have been used to support hosiery, handkerchiefs and similar merchandise in order to display them to better advantage in windowed cartons.

The invention, therefore, seeks to provide a carton having an integral tray panel 'for the support and/ or display of the packaged contents. Yet it is the purpose of the invention to provide a tray panel for cartons which is largely free of the carton structure and which can be manually separated `from the carton without difiiculty.

The purpose and objectives are realized in the illustrative embodiment herein. For purpose of explanation, the invention is illustrated herein as embodied in a generally rectangular foldable carton having a back panel, a face panel, an end Wall Iformed in continuation of the face panel, and a tray panel substantially co-extensive with the face panel formed as a free tongue in continuation of the end wall adapted -for infolding into underlying relation to the yface panel. Separabil-ity of the tray panel from the carton structure is achieved by provision of a connection between the face panel and the end wall which compri-ses a line of perforations extending across the face panel and terminating at the corne-rs of the carton which are formed at the intersection of the face panel and the end wall. This adapted the end wall for manual separation from the face panel such that the end wall and the attached tray panel may be removed from the carton.

These and other advantages and features of the invention will appear `from the following description when read in light of the drawing, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts, and in which- FIG. 1 is a plan View of an extended blank from the carton herein is formed;

FIG. 2 is a perspective View of a carton which embodies the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view corresponding to that of FIG. 2, showing, however, the `carton after it has been opened and its tray panel has been partially Withdrawn therefrom.

The nature of the carton Will best be understood by first considering the form of the blank shown in FIG. 1. The blank of FIG. 1 is designed for the production of a generally rectangular carton but the invention is equally applicable to cartons of other shape in which event the shape of the blank will be correspondingly altered.

In FIG. l the blank is cut and scored to form three major panels and related side and end walls. The major panels comprise a back panel 12, a face panel 14 and a tray panel 16. The back panel 12 and the face panel 14 are separated from each other by a first end wall 18.

Patented Apr. 14, 1964 ICC The end wall 1-8 is defined by a pair of parallel score lines 20 and 22 which facilitate the folding operation which takes place when the blank is erected into carton form. The face panel 14 and the tray panel 16 are separated .from each other by a second end wall 24 which is defined by a pair of parallel score lines 26 and 28. The several score lines defining the rst end wall and the second wall extend between a pair of parallel longitudinal score lines 30 and 32. These latter lines extend the entire length of the baok panel 12 and the face panel 14 thereby defining lateral side Walls.

In .the back panel, the score line 30 defines a first lateral side Wall 34 and. in the face panel it defines a first lateral glue iiap 36. 'Ilie longitudinal score line 32 at the op posite side of the blank defines a second lateral side wall 38 in the back panel 12 and a second lateral glue flap 40 in the face panel 14.

The first end wall defining score lines 20 and 22 are continued in the form of incisions `42, 44 and 41, 43 beyond the longitudinal score lines 30 and 32 to form a pair of late-ral ears 46 and 48 projecting from the opposite ends of the first end wall 18. Similarly, the extension of the score line 216 is in the form of incisions 50 and S2 beyond the longitudinal lines 30 and 32 to form a pair of ears 54 and `56 constituting extensions of the second side wall 24.

The tray panel 16, which is 'formed in continuation of the second end Wall 24, is preferably substantially coextensive with the face panel 14. Accordingly, it is formed as a tongue extending from the second end wall 24 by cutting back the lateral edges 58 and A60 in alignment with the lateral side Wall forming score lines 30 and 32 respectively.

A connection is formed between the face panel 14 and the second end Wall 24 by providing a line of perforations 62 which extends across the face panel 1'4 and terminates at adjacent corners of the carton formed at the intersection of the face panel and the end wall 24. Specifically, this line of perforations defines a generally rectangular area 66 whose base line is the transverse score line 26 demar-king the face panel |14 and the second end wall 24.

The line of perforations `62 comprises a plurality of stepped slots of which the adjacent end of successive slots are disposed in overlapping relation. The apex of the t-riangular area 66 is in the form of a perforated arc 68 constituting a finger tab.

The transverse score lines 20, 22, 26 and 28 are preferably formed simply by creasing the cardboard stock from which the carton is formed. In order to facilitate folding of the car-ton, the longitudinal score lines 30 and 32 are preferably formed by a succession of interrupted slots or incisions.

For many applications a carton of the kind herein disclosed is suitably provided with a window '70 covered by a transparent window sheet 7,2 through which the contents of the carton may be inspected.

A blank such as shown in FIG. l can be eas-ily folded and sealed in a carton folding and sealing machine such as that shown in my application for United States patent, Serial No. 181,356, filed 'March 21, 1962. During the folding and sealing operation a plurality of glue spots 74 will be applied to the lateral glue flaps 36 and 4d.

Filling, folding and sealing may conveniently proceed in the Ifollowing manner. The canton lblank as shown in iFIG. 1, disposed with its inner face exposed, is first loaded by placing the contents on the face panel 14. The second end wall 24 and the tray panel 16 are rotated respectively on the score lines 26 and 28 to erect the second end Wall 24 to fold the tray panel 16 into contact with the loaded contents. The rst end wall 18 and the back panel 12 are thenrotated respectively on the score lines 22 and 20 to erect the first end wall 18 and to fold the back panel down into contact with the tray panel 16. As so folded, the package can be inserted into a carton folding and sealing machine of the kind shown in my aforesaid application for patent. During further manipulation of the carton by the machine, the ears 46 and 48 are folded in, and while the ears 54 and S6 are likewise held in by the attendant as the carton advances, the first and second lateral side walls 34 and 38 are folded upon on the score lines 30 and 32. The glue spots 74 are now applied to the first and second lateral glue aps 36 and '40 as the latter are being folded down on the score lines 30 and 32 respectively. Sufficient pressure is applied to the lateral edges of the carton to assure that the applied glue will produce an effective seal.

For many classes of merchandise the carton can be made of ordinary, untreated cardboard stock. In this event, a cold adhesive can be utilized. For such applications requiring a waxed carton stock, it is best to employ a hot adhesive. The machine of my aforesaid patent application is designed to use either type of adhesive.

When it is desired to open the carton for access to its contents, it is merely necessary to press down on the arcshaped finger tab formed by the perforations 68, thereby breaking the perforations of the tab and providing a `finger hold at the apex of the generally triangular opening flap 66. A downward or outward movement will now cause a severance of the generally triangular opening llap by causing the cardboard material to tear ybetween adjacent stepped tear slots i62,. It will be noted that the tear slots at the base of thetriangular opening flap extend respectively into incisions 50 and 52 such that when the `triangular opening Hap 66 is severed from the face panel 1'4, the second end wall 24 together with the attached tray panel 16 will be completely free and separable from the carton as shown in FIG. 3. vIf only a part of the cartons contents are used upon initial opening of the carton, the tray panel 16 with the remaining carton contents resting thereon can be easily reinserted into the carton. The triangular opening ap y66 together with the ears 54 and 56 can be infolded in order to keep the carton closed. This adapts the carton t0 use Ifor an extended period of time during which contents may be removed intermittently.

While the fundamentally novel features of the invention have been illustrated and described in connection with a specific embodiment of the invention, it is believed that this embodiment will enable others skilled in the art to apply the principles of the invention in forms departing from the exemplary embodiment herein, and such departures are contemplated by the claim.

What is claimed is:

In a generally rectangular folded carton constructed of a single piece of cardboard stock, said carton having a face panel and a back panel, a first end wall integrally connecting said back panel to one end of said tface panel, a second end wall integrally connected to the other end of said face panel, a tray panel substantially coextensive with said face panel formed as a dat tongue free about three edges thereof in integral continuation of said second end wall adapted for infolding into underlying relaltion to said face panel, and a line of perforations extending across said 'face panel delining a generally triangular area whose base line is the line demarking said face panel `and said second end wall and whose apex is in said face panel and extends in the direction of said Ifirst end wall thereby dening a reclosure tongue extending from opposite corners of said carton formed at the intersection of said face panel and said second end Wall, said perforations facilitating separation of said second end wall from said face panel so that said second end wall and said tray panel may be removed from said carton.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,132,781 Lile Mar. 23, 1915 1,906,742 Coulapides May 2, 1933 1,955,633 Hill Apr. 17, 1934 2,277,097 Hansen Mar. 24, 1942 3,033,362 Marcalus May 8, 1962 3,035,692 Forrer May 22, 1962 3,074,611 Tolaas Ian. 22, 1963 

